Victims who were abducted during the violent attack on the Woro community in Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State have made it to Ilorin after their rescue, having spent several months in captivity.
They reached the state capital late Thursday night, finally freed through ongoing military operations and coordinated efforts by security agencies. These individuals were transported from Niger State to Ilorin, where they were welcomed at the Nigerian Army’s 2 Division in Sobi Barracks.
Following their arrival, the rescued individuals were taken to an undisclosed location for the night, with some receiving medical treatment in hospitals.
The victims were among those abducted when armed attackers stormed Woro earlier this year, killing many and seizing others into nearby forests. The assault resulted in widespread concern, prompting intensified security efforts to locate and rescue the captives.
The rescued individuals are set to be formally handed over to Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, who has been in contact with security authorities to ensure the safe return of the abductees.
Authorities are expected to continue verifying the number of rescued victims while providing them with necessary medical, psychological, and welfare support after their extended period in captivity.
In February, assailants attacked Woro village, resulting in the deaths of over 150 people and the kidnapping of roughly the same number.
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President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has expressed his welcome for the successful rescue of 308 Nigerian citizens abducted in various attacks across Niger and Kwara states, as per presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga. According to him, 163 were from Woro and 145 from Niger State. The victims were rescued from a location in Kainji Lake National Park Forest.
Expansive and often unmonitored forests and reserves around the country have become hideouts for criminal groups. This operation was described as “the largest rescue operation ever carried out” in a single day by Onanuga, involving the National Counter-Terrorism Centre, military, Department of State Services, intelligence agency, and police.
Earlier this year, terrorists unleashed violence in Woro following an unfulfilled announcement to preach, leading to the destruction of houses and the killing of over 165 people, with an unknown number kidnapped. While residents had reported a higher death toll at the time, local authorities provided a lower figure.
Unconfirmed reports suggest that 176 individuals were kidnapped, although Kwara state police recently indicated that this number remains unverifiable. The attack left much of Woro in ruins.
Tinubu condemned the “beastly attack” at the time, sending an army battalion to the area while attributing the assault to the Islamist movement Boko Haram—often a catch-all term for jihadist groups in Nigeria. A few months prior, the Al-Qaeda-linked Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM) claimed its first attack on Nigerian soil in this state near Woro.
